Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. I do own some lovely knee-high rainbow socks, though. Everyone should have a pair. xD
It was Saturday night, and Gaara sat in his room, staring out the window into the ally. It was dark, and, his window being open, he could hear the sounds of the city float through the air. He didn't bother to turn his music on; listening to police sirens and traffic sounds seemed to be enough tonight.
In his hand he held Sasuke's number. He didn't look at it. In reality, he was terrified of calling it... Yes, he considered Sasuke a friend, but when was the last time he had called someone besides Temari or Kankuro? His laptop was open in front of him; He was online. But Sasuke wasn't. Gaara had typed in the screename six or seven times, just in case he had misspelled it. But this was in vain, for when he did it, the screen remained blank. No one came online. He stared at the computer screen, eyes unblinking, trying to decide just what to do. Then, he flipped open his cell phone and dialed the number Sasuke had written down before his mind could decide against it.
He listened. Ring.. Ring... Ring... A woman's voice came onto the line. "Hello. Unfortunately, the wireless caller you are trying to reach is not available at the moment. If you'd like to leave a message, please-" Click. Gaara hung up. Like hell he was going to leave a message; his heart raced at the very thought of it. But why hadn't Sasuke answered in the first place? He bit his lip, a sinking feeling taking over the thump of his heart. Maybe.. Sasuke didn't even want to talk to him anymore? He hadn't shown up at work since Gaara had last seen him. Maybe the guy didn't want anything to do with him.. Maybe this was a fake screename, and the number was probably a made-up one..
He shook his head gently, standing up. Of course not. Sasuke was just busy was all. Maybe he didn't have his phone with him...
Gaara pulled on a jacket, walking out the bedroom door, not bothering to shut down his laptop. No.. Sasuke wouldn't do that. Or would he...? Was he only using Gaara as a form of entertainment, toying with his emotions for fun? Or was he just busy? In trouble? Gone?
He walked out the apartment door. Kankuro, who was sitting on the couch, didn't bother to say anything to him as he left. Gaara walked down the hall, then down the stairs, then out of the building, listening to the echo of his footsteps in the barren area. He didn't stop walking when he got outside, just continued moving in the direction of the park. His body felt as though it was moving on his own, and he stared blankly ahead, unable to erase the thought of his loved one, whose name had been stained permanently into his mind.
Entering the park, he moved mechanically to the place where he had seen Sasuke and Sakura. It seemed like such a long time ago. He couldn't even remember the exact date of the incident. When was it, a week ago? A month ago? A day ago...?
Gaara's steps faltered as he stared ahead. Sasuke was sitting there, right where Gaara had seen him that night with Sakura. He was unmoving, staring down at the park floor, hands clasped together. He didn't seem to notice the younger boy watching him. Gaara moved on ahead without thought. A streak of fear, for whatever reason, was telling him to turn around, telling him that Sasuke didn't want to be bothered, but Gaara's body wouldn't listen to the internal voice. He stopped when he was about two yards from the raven-haired teen, staring at him.
Sasuke didn't make any sign of moving. But Gaara could see his eyes- They were staring blankly down at the pavement of the park, emotion drained from the black voids. Gaara stared at him for a minute. What had happened? Opening his mouth, he was about to say something, but Sasuke surprised him by looking up, eyes suddenly sharp and startled. "Oh.. Hey." Sasuke said quietly. He shifted his stare down to pavement once more. Gaara blinked. "Hi." He replied. There was a silence, and neither said a word for what seemed like a decade. Gaara broke it. "I called you."
With that, Sasuke looked up. "You did?" And when Gaara nodded, he continued. "My phone went dead." Gaara stared for a minute, sensing that this was, in fact, a lie. "Oh." He said awkwardly in response. Sasuke nodded matter-of-factly. "Yeah."
Another long silence. Why was this so weird? Gaara had been getting used to talking to Sasuke before, but it seemed different now. A little like when Gaara first talked to Sasuke, but now the raven-haired boy seemed a whole lot more.. Insecure.
Sasuke moved his hand, motioning for Gaara to sit down. The red-haired boy obliged, sitting next to Sasuke, who glanced over before looking back down. "My phone isn't really dead." Gaara nodded. "I figured." He wanted to ask what exactly was up, because Sasuke seemed a whole lot more uncomfortable than usual. Less... collected. But he said nothing, just waited for the other to continue. "I knew it was probably you, I didn't recognize the number, but I didn't want to pick it up."
Gaara didn't speak. Sasuke kept going, but this time, it wasn't about cell phones. "I went to see my brother this weekend." Gaara blinked, unable to stay stoic. He had no idea that Sasuke had a brother. In fact, he knew very little of Sasuke's personal life at all.. But he wasn't sure what he expected- Of course, the older teen was too young to live on his own, but Gaara couldn't really picture him living with two happy parents and a pet dog, either. Sasuke seemed to sense a question coming and answered before it could be asked. "He's in a mental ward. If I want to live alone, visiting him is something I have to do. The government makes me."
So he DID live alone. Gaara digested the sentence, then, without thinking, asked what first came to mind. "Why's he in a mental ward?" Oh, bad choice. Sasuke flinched, then looked away, not replying. Damn it. Gaara felt like an idiot, who the hell would ask that? Obviously Sasuke didn't want to talk about it...
The silence continued, and Gaara decided to shut up, not wanting to strike anymore nerves. After a little while, Sasuke glanced over. "He killed my parents." The shock must've been obvious on Gaara's face, because Sasuke smirked; But the red-head could tell that he was upset underneath the cool exterior. "Hey. You asked, you know." Gaara nodded faintly. He DID ask, that was true enough. He just couldn't imagine having to visit the one who killed your parents, especially if it were a sibling. It was just terrible.. But... In a way, he could relate. His parents were dead, too.
He was about to mention this, but decided against it. He had said to much on the subject already; Changing the subject is what seemed ideal right about now. "W-why didn't you pick up your phone?" He asked, stuttering, unsure of the answer. "I guess I was scared." Sasuke whispered under his breath. Gaara thought it over without a word. "I don't know why. I just.. I was just scared. So I came here. Somehow, I knew you would be here." He was looking directly at Gaara now, and the red-head blushed faintly, nodding. "You were right." He didn't look over at the other boy, but stared at the path he had come down to get here instead. They were the only ones in the park.. And somehow, it seemed so quiet here, so peaceful, even though they were in the middle of the city. Why didn't he come here more often? The thought of it danced around his mind, but when he turned to comment on the soundless-ness of this small haven, Sasuke leaned forward and planted his lips against Gaara's.
The red-head's heart skipped a beat. His mind went completely blank, and he clenched his fist by his side. Holy SHIT, Sasuke was kissing him... What the hell was he to do? Then he remembered. When someone kisses you, you should kiss back...
So that's what he did; He shut his eyes and kissed Sasuke, matching him. And it felt as if he was in heaven, though he was really sitting in a cold park in the middle of a lit-up city. His mind drifted away, and it felt like he had been here for hours instead of seconds with his lips pushed up against Sasuke's. But suddenly, Sasuke pulled away, and Gaara opened his eyes at the absence of the other boy, staring at him, mouth hanging open in surprise. He was thrown back into reality.
The raven-haired teen was staring back at him, and Gaara could see a small blush forming on his cheeks. Why had he pulled away? Sasuke looked into his bright eyes, mouth trying to form the right words. "Sasuke...?" Gaara asked, expression unchanging. Sasuke shook his head. "No, I can't do this.." Gaara continued staring at him, though question passed through his eyes. Oh god, why the hell had he kissed back? He was so stupid... "It's just that.. Sakura.." Sasuke started. Gaara interrupted. "Oh." Of course. Sakura. Sasuke still liked her, he saw that now. How could he be such an idiot to think that the older boy would be over her so quickly? Standing up suddenly, Gaara jerked his gaze away from Sasuke's. "I... I'm sorry..." He whispered, before turning around and walking briskly out of the park. Sasuke didn't call out for him to return, nor did he come after Gaara. He sat, watching the younger teen depart.
When Gaara felt something run down his cheek, he realized he was crying. And when his breath caught in his throat, it came in mind that he was running. And when his body began to shake and his clothes became drenched, he found that rain was pouring from the sky. He didn't bother looking back.
There, chapter 6. Sorry it's so short. xx
Just to let you know, I'm still open to any requests for fanfictions. I'll get to them whenever I can.